Associated PressAMELIA ISLAND, Fla. ó Maria Sharapova entered the Bausch & Lomb Championships in hopes of gaining some experience on clay.
She got a lot more than that ó she won her first clay-court title.
Sharapova overcame five double-faults and 33 unforced errors to beat Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7), 6-3 in Sunday’s final. The top-seeded Russian became the first player on the WTA Tour to win three times in 2008. She also won the Australian Open and at Doha.
Sharapova improved to 22-1 this year, earned a crystal vase and $95,500, and maybe more important, gained valuable experience on clay.